Jordanian King Abdullah II Calls War Against Islamic State Group 'WWIII'

King Abdullah II of Jordan has described the escalating battle against the Islamic State group “a third world war” and has called for Muslim nations to play a decisive role in defeating the terrorist group.

During a speech on Nov. 15, the monarch said that defeating terrorism was “both a regional and international responsibility, but it is mainly our battle, us Muslims, against those who seek to hijack our societies and generations with intolerance tafriki ideology,” reports the Independent.

“Tafriki” is a radical Islamic sentiment that views people who do not share jihadist values as infidels worthy of execution, according to The Times of Israel.

During a Nov. 17 diplomatic visit with the European nation of Kosovo, which has a mostly Muslim population, Abdullah II elaborated on his nation’s commitment to defeating not just the Islamic State group but other terrorist organizations, The Jordan Times reports.

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“Groups such as Daesh (the Islamic State group) expose themselves daily as savage outlaws of religion, devoid of humanity, respecting no laws and no boundaries,” says Abdullah II, according to The Jordan Times. “We are facing a third world war against humanity, and this is what brings us all together.

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“This is a war… within Islam, and unfortunately, with over 100,000 Muslims [having] been murdered by Daesh alone over the past two years… we must act united, fast and holistically, to tackle and respond to the interconnected threats,” Abdullah II continues. He also adds that terrorist organizations such as Al Qaeda and Boko Haram also must be stopped in both Asia and Africa, The Jordan Times reports.

Abdullah II has referred to the Nov. 13 Paris attack as a “cowardly terrorist act,” according to the Independent.

Jordan has been a key ally in the coalition against the Islamic State group, the nation’s air force joining the U.S.-led bombing of the terrorist group in Syria and Iraq, reports the Independent.

While Abdullah II has always condemned terrorist organizations, his rhetoric has become increasingly angry after the murder of a Jordanian pilot in February 2015. After taking the pilot prisoner, the Islamic State group burned their captive alive in a cage, filming the execution and putting it online, according to the Independent.

Jordan has also provided refuge for Syrians and Iraqis fleeing from the Islamic State group. Despite the high influx of numbers reportedly causing a strain on the nation’s resources, Jordan is predicted to have taken in over a million refugees by December 2015, according to The UN Refugee Agency.